Tread carefully or end up all wet

It's not as if I'm a stranger to the field of fishing-related pratfalls by any stretch of the fishing line or imagination. My fishing mishaps and/or "misery" have been well documented.

“I want to drive until the map turns blue.”

Now, what fisherman hasn’t felt like that? Man, let me tell you, it is something I want to do everyday — watch that GPS screen on my Chevy pickup suddenly start to show blue and lots of it. It’s then I know we are nearing Destination Bass.

That great song lyric is from award-winning country music artist Brad Paisley’s No. 1 hit “Water.”

Brad is a co-writer of “Water,” and he made a cool video for it as well. Sure, as expected, there is lots of water in it and boats, swimmers, bikini-clad babes … and well, Bill Dance. Well, OK, I’m not so sure that’s something you ever expected to be combined in a sentence — Bill and bikini-clad babes — but a guy can dream, right?

It wasn’t exactly a “Bill and Brad Gone Wild” video shoot, either. Heck, I didn’t even set foot on the set for the shoot (darn it). Instead, Brad called my office and wanted to know if he could use some of my blooper clips in the video. We said, “Sure, that’s great,” and sent them to him and his production crew.

Now, Brad is no stranger to bass fishing. He loves the sport as anyone can tell by listening to several of his songs. In fact, he shot another video featuring fishermen for one of his many Number 1 hits — “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song).” That video featured several celebrities including our mutual fishing buds Little Jimmy Dickens, Hank Parker and Forrest Wood. It’s now a classic, especially among those that fish.

In the “Water” video, I make a big splash. Well, I actually make several big splashes since I fall in the water a few times. I think I look very good doing it, too. I am a professional, after all.

It’s not as if I’m a stranger to the field of fishing-related pratfalls by any stretch of the fishing line or imagination. My fishing mishaps and/or “misery” have been well documented. Such bloopers are for sale on DVD through Bass Pro Shops. Some of the older ones seem to have found life on youtube.com.

As a result, I might be labeled the “Clown Prince of Prank” or maybe the “Chevy Chase of Fishingdom.”

I take it all in stride (carefully watching my step), and, hey, I know that kind of thing is bound to happen to y’all, too. I just happen to have the fortune (good or otherwise) of always have the cameras rolling when it happens to me!

Until next time, watch your step and catch one for me.

 

For more words of wit and wisdom from one of our sport’s greatest legends, check out www.billdanceoutdoors.com.